Joseph of Arimathea

Scripture: Luke 23:50-55

50 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, 51 but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. 52 He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. 54 This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. (Luke 23:50-55 NLT)

Jesus owned nothing but the clothes he was arrested in, and now even those were gone, won in a dice game among Roman soldiers. Joseph, a rich man from the Judean village of Arimathea, a few miles from Jerusalem, had become a secret follower of Jesus and had not agreed with the Jewish leaders in their plot to have Jesus killed. It was normal in Jewish culture to bury the dead before sunset, and on this occasion, sunset was the beginning of the Sabbath. Something needed to be done!

The disciples were scattered, the women were stunned, the “clock was ticking!” So Joseph risked the wrath of Pilate by coming forward to claim Jesus’ body for burial, and risked the wrath of the other Jewish leaders for identifying himself with the one they had put to death. Joseph took Jesus’ body from the cross, wrapped it in a linen sheet and buried it in his own new tomb nearby. Then he and his helpers rolled a large, heavy stone across the door of the tomb. His act was brave and compassionate, and the Holy Spirit considered it worth writing Joseph into the redemption story as a memorial to his act of courage and generosity.

As I read this today, I thought of the times in our lives when something tragic or terrible happens and nobody seems to know what to do. The people you’d expect to do something either aren’t there or don’t take action. Then someone, an unexpected someone, seemingly from the shadows, steps up and takes the initiative and does the thing that needs to be done. And it’s good and helpful! And I thought about my tendency to hold back, to wait and see, to think “Someone needs to do something here!” Joseph simply did the thing that needed to be done! (And he got his slightly used tomb back in good condition three days later anyhow!)

Prayer:

Father, Thanks for the story of Joseph of Arimathea! Help me to also be one who steps up and courageously, compassionately, generously does what needs to be done! Amen!